ShowEast to honor Abramorama's Richard Abramowitz

ShowEast will honor Richard Abramowitz, founder of Abramorama, with the Bingham Ray Memorial Award at the 2013 convention. The Bingham Ray Award was established in 2012 in honor of the late Bingham Ray, one of the most beloved people in the independent film world. This award is bestowed upon an individual who has shown exemplary leadership and foresight in the world of independent cinema.

“Richard is an innovative leader in the distribution and marketing of independent films that have met with resounding success,” stated Robert Sunshine, executive cirector of ShowEast. “By challenging the norm, he has been instrumental in bringing quality independent film to moviegoers everywhere.”

Abramorama takes a personalized, focused form of film marketing and distribution that bypasses traditional film studios and their methodology, providing valuable distribution alternatives to content makers and owners.

Abramowitz was a co-founder of Stratosphere Entertainment, the independent distribution and production company financed by Carl Icahn. Stratosphere’s releases included The Thief, Hideous Kinky and Xiu-Xiu: The Sent Down Girl.

While President/COO of RKO Pictures Distribution, he handled The Shooting Gallery’s acclaimed first feature, Laws of Gravity. Prior to that, as a senior executive at Cinecom Entertainment, he distributed John Sayles' The Brother from Another Planet and Matewan, Jonathan Demme's Stop Making Sense and Swimming to Cambodia, Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, and Merchant Ivory's A Room with a View, among many others.

Abramowitz is a founding partner of the new distribution company Area23a, which is devoted to the distribution of performance and social issue films, the distinguishing factor being a post-screening component of live music, lecture or panel discussion. Initial releases from Area23a include Revenge of the Electric Car, Teenage Paparazzo and Soundtrack for a Revolution.

Abramowitz currently teaches at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Institute of Film and Television, is a frequent panelist and juror at film festivals around the world, and is a member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts.

ShowEast will take place Oct. 21-24 at the Westin Diplomat Resort and Spa in Hollywood, FL.